Beta Reader FAQ

A beta reader, like a beta test, tests the story and gives feedback to make the story better.

I’ve watched Beta Reading elevate Starless Skin to whole new heights. Through you, I get the chance to test pilot how the story will meet audiences. 

• It allows me to see the flaws and fix them before they hit audiences on publication—which is fantastic!

Here’s what’s changing:

• Epigraphs + sketch descriptions
  • Before most chapters there will be a snippet of a journal / book entry and or a description of a piece of art that will eventually be on that page 
• More readers!
  • So far almost double the first round (muhahaha)
• No more Word document feedback responses 
  • (And the heavens sang!)
  • We will have a survey link for each bite which will collect all of the responses and eliminate formatting issues from GoogleDocs to Microsoft
• An opportunity to add comments on the manuscript itself
  • [completely optional]
  • Readers will be able to sign in or create a Microsoft email accounts and have the ability to leave comments in the margins and possibly see other people’s comments as well (we are beta testing this part of the beta reading). 
• All Beta Readers will need to sign an NDA
  • To maintain the integrity of the work and do due diligence, NDAs will be sent out before the manuscript is shared.

Here’s what staying the same:

• Bites and Whole
  • You will receive the whole part along with the first Bite, so if you want to read faster you can! If you don’t, you don’t have to.
• We’re having another Beta Reader Dinner
  • (one of my Beta Readers told me it was non-negotiable and she already had the desserts planned, so who am I to deny such a tasty negotiation tactic?)
• You will read Starless Skin 
  • and give me feedback 

I refer to our story as the Waffle (or waffles, since we’ll read it in two waffles— or parts, or two waffles).  I wanted to have something fun and sweet to eat be the first thing we thought of so that it would be more fun!

•  The way I’ve broken down the story to be beta read and surveyed is into smaller “bites” of the waffle that will be emailed to you. Thus there are the whole waffles, the two parts, and the bites of the story.

• Between ~5-10 chapters 
  • That may sounds like a lot. But keep in mind no chapter is the same length so the more chapters you have in a bite, the shorter they will be.
  • The Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling is 76,944 words. So each bite will be like reading 1/3 of The Sorcerer's Stone.
• To make them as even as possible I create Bites based on the word count instead of the # of chapters. Each chapter is around 5-12 pages which is around 3K words. So each bite will be around 20K-30K words.

• The outline of this is 1Bite/week. But you can read at your own pace. 
  • Some people speed through it way before the deadline
  • Everyone can read at their own pace, slowing down and speeding up at their leisure.
• If you can’t finish the whole book in time, all of your feedback up until the deadline will be used for editing the book

• That’s ok. I don’t finish every book I read.
• I’m a slow reader
• I’m afraid something will come up or I’ll be too busy
  • We have due dates for this project because Starless Skin must meet publishing deadlines. However:
    • If you read slower, np. If you can’t finish the whole book in time, all of your feedback up until the deadline will be used for editing the book
    • If you are afraid you’ll be too busy, let me know and we can put your name on a list for future beta readers
    • If something comes up and you need to take a break—no worries, no guilt
      • All of your feedback up until the deadline will be used for editing the book

• There is no guilt from me. It’s my #1 rule for Beta Readers. 
  • By saying yes, you are doing me a favor. It would be like you buying me dinner a couple weeks in a row. I wouldn’t be offended that you didn’t by me dinner for the third time—I’d be fighting you for the check!   
  • Not everyone who participated in Round I were able to finish the book. Their contributions still helped enormously and they were invited (and encouraged to attend!) to our Beta Reader Dinner to thank them and celebrate.
    • PS, if you read and give feedback on only 1 chapter, you’ll be invited to our Beta Reader Dinner.

Yes. If you have the Microsoft Word app downloaded to your phone you can download the manuscript and select the “Read Aloud” feature. You can select your narrator and it will read it to you from your device. 

This is not a high quality narration. You may get strange pronunciation of names/places/etc. However, the newest versions of the app have increased the quality substantially from the monotone reading voices of old.

• Prep
  • Summary of schedule will be sent out 
  • NDAs will be sent to Beta Readers and are due BEFORE Week 1
• Week 1
  • You will receive chapter 1 and 2 and a link to the feedback survey
    • Note: once the feedback of this has been received you will get the rest of the book
• Week 2
  • You will receive 2 documents: 
    • Part 1 aka the first waffle (total of 3 bites) (with embedded links to all of the Feedback Surveys)
    • Bite 1 (with an embedded link to Bite 1 Feeback Survey)
  • You will receive 4 links to all of the Part 1 Feedback Surveys 
• Weeks 3-4
  • You will receive Bites 2 and 3 + encouragement emails
• Week 5
  • This is the midpoint. You will receive an additional feedback survey link to review Part 1
    • When this Part 1 Feedback has been received, you will be sent Part 2
  • Part 2 aka the Second Waffle (3 Bites total + embedded links to surveys) and Bite 4
• Weeks 6-7
  • You will receive Bites 5 and 6 + encouragement emails
• Week 8
  • No new Bites because BOOK IS DONEEE WHOHOO
  • Final Book Feedback Survey sent 
  • Celebratory Beta Reader Dinner dates announced to check availability
• DONE

• Your feedback will be extensively reviewed and utilized. I,
  • Make notes based on your comments
  • Adjust charaters and their decisions based on your comments
  • I create charts based on your answers to better understand how everyone felt 
• Ex: In Round I, their feedback helped me cut a POV character, completely rewrite the first half of the final battle, and bust up my rubbish first chapter which was SO HELPFUL

• Yes. 
• Because this round is going out to a larger audience, it’s important to do our due diligence when creating and sharing unpublished works.

An elite group of amazing people who read books and tell Elizabeth how to make them even better and encourage her to keep writing. They also eat waffles.

Email me at Elizabeth@elizabethlux.com with the subject: “Questions for Round 2”